So I’m sitting on a bar saddle, that’s how it rolls at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where stools are simply not cowboyly enough, and I’m enjoying a local pale ale when the guy to my right catches a glimpse of the tattoo on the bartender’s hand, goes “is that...?” and cuts his question short when the bartender nods with a proud grin on his face. They start talking and I’m drawn into the conversation when I realize what the tattoo says: M$CB.
Million. Dollar. Cowboy. Bar.
Un-f*ckin-real! Especially considering that Jake, the bartender, neither owns the place nor is likely to inherit it. He explains that he’s been working here for seven years now and was ready to get the tattoo from day one, and actually did, after double checking with his manager that he got the job. I don’t know if or how one could commit further to a workplace. Brad, the guy to my right, thinks the tattoo could serve as some sort of job security. He’s right: I can’t help but laugh when I think about the manager’s conundrum who would be charged with firing an employee with the name of the establishment tattooed on a highly visible part of his body.
Brad then pulls out his camera and takes this brilliant photo. He’s a professional photographer (check out his feed). He turns around to me and says “I’m working on a photo book about this place.” I ask if he means Jackson Hole but no, just the bar he says. I wonder for a second if you could fill an entire book with a bar despite its huge size and long history. But then I’m reminded of the bar saddles and Jake’s tattoo. I’m convinced the place is full of book-worthy people and things. ~ • ~
We chatted a good deal with Brad afterwards. He was nice enough to buy me a beer and liven up what would otherwise be a silent night at the saddle. Cheers mate, I look forward to returning to Jackson and getting my hands on a copy of that book! •••
#Repost @bradlyjboner ・・・
Jake Wood, bartender at the @milliondollarcowboybar, Jackson, Wyo.